Niche D20Associated Ability Modifier: Agility
Stealth is the skill at avoiding detection, moving silently, and avoiding the sight of your opponents. Stealth is a skill rolled secretly by the GM as the player should not know how successful their stealth check was.
Common Uses
Hide In Combat
When attempting to hide you must not be in line of sight of a creature you are attempting to stealth from, or at least have cover or concealment against. When attempting to use stealth to hide against a creature make a stealth check, opposed by the perception check of the target (or targets if attempting to hide from multiple creatures. For each creature your stealth check is higher than their perception check you become hidden from that creature.
When using stealth you may move up to half your normal speed when performing any movement as part of stealth, though may move up to your speed at a -5 penalty; if this would cause your stealth check to become lower than the perception check of the creature you’re attempting to hide from you are immediately spotted by that creature. You cannot use stealth as part of a run or charge action.
Making an attack roll against a creature while hidden immediately ends your stealth, though the creature does treat you as if you were invisible for the attack; though the creature observes you as normal after this attack and as such takes no penalties from you being hidden anymore.
While you may hide from one creature, other creatures who spot you may warn their allies of your approach and point you out if they have a chance.
Hiding Out of Combat
When hiding out of combat it is similar to hiding from a creature in combat, though the creature may not immediately receive a perception check to observe you. Instead, when you first attempt to hide, roll your stealth check; once out of cover, concealment, or within line of sight of a creature, compare this value against a DC of 10+ the perception modifier of the creature. Success allows you to continue unobserved by the creature, while a failure allows the creature to attempt an opposed perception check against your stealth attempt as they begin to actively search for you.
Attempting to stealth out of combat still is subject to the -5 penalty to stealth when attempting to move greater than half your normal speed.
Breaking Stealth
At the start of your turn while using stealth you can leave any cover or concealment, or enter line of sight and remain unobserved, though you must still end your turn in cover on concealment. If ending your turn outside of cover, concealment, or within line of sight you must make a new stealth check to remain unobserved, but this time at a -5 penalty.
If you do not move or attack during a turn, you do not need to make another stealth check to maintain stealth; though some actions (as determined by the GM) may be loud or distracting enough to require a new stealth check.
Hide behind other Creatures
You may attempt to hide behind another creature, using them to break line of sight of a foe. This may only be attempted against creatures at least one size category above you, though this check is made at a -10 penalty. If the creature you’re attempting to hide behind is trying to avoid concealing you (such as a hostile creature), this penalty instead increases to -20. You are automatically revealed if the creature moves away from you before the start of your next turn and you are not under any sort of cover or concealment effect.
Sniping
When making ranged attack rolls while in stealth at least 10 feet away from a target, you may attempt to stealth again at a -10 penalty to maintain an obscured position. To attempt to re-stealth after making an attack roll is a 2 AP action.
A creature making a ranged attack with a firearm keyword weapon while sniping takes an additional -5 penalty to their stealth check to maintain their obscured position. Any effect that nullifies the sound from the firearm may remove this penalty.
Action/Retry
Stealth is made usually at the start of the turn or as part of movement, sniping is usually the only stealth check that requires its own action to perform.
Usually a failed stealth check reveals you to the target, making it difficult to attempt a new stealth check, but as long as the conditions are met you may attempt a new stealth check to hide again.